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Subfield · Materials Science

Polymers and Plastics research

Polymers and Plastics is a subfield of Materials Science. Science Explorer counts 481k research works in it since 1950. 9.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: substance composed of macromolecules with repeating structural units.

Research works
481k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
48k
per year above
Top-10% rate
9.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
14
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+18%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
50% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Polymers and Plastics

What is Polymers and Plastics research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2021-25, its most used keywords are Nanocomposites, Conducting Polymers, Biomedical Applications, PEDOT:PSS, Polyaniline, Mechanical Properties. Gaining share since 2011-15: Composites, Natural Fibers, Polymer Composites, Self-Healing, Fire-Retardant Materials. Losing share: Dendrimers, Hyperbranched Polymers, Characterization, Synthesis.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2021-25 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2011-15. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 39 words, with their numbers
  1. Nanocomposites50k◆ 1.03×4 topics
  2. Conducting Polymers38k◆ 1.03×2 topics
  3. Biomedical Applications35k◆ 1.05×2 topics
  4. PEDOT:PSS33k◆ 1.13×1 topic
  5. Polyaniline33k◆ 1.13×1 topic
  6. Mechanical Properties19k▲ 1.21×2 topics
  7. Nanoparticles16k▼ 0.64×3 topics
  8. Composites14k▲ 1.76×1 topic
  9. Natural Fibers14k▲ 1.76×1 topic
  10. Biodegradable Polymers12k▲ 1.34×2 topics
  11. Thermal Properties12k▼ 0.85×2 topics
  12. Polymer Composites9,757▲ 1.52×1 topic
  13. Self-Healing9,757▲ 1.52×1 topic
  14. Electrochromic9,196◆ 1.00×1 topic
  15. Tungsten Oxide9,196◆ 1.00×1 topic
  16. Layered Silicate8,168▼ 0.66×1 topic
  17. Polymer8,168▼ 0.66×1 topic
  18. Fabric Comfort8,127▼ 0.80×1 topic
  19. Moisture Management8,127▼ 0.80×1 topic
  20. Thermal Stability7,071▼ 0.67×2 topics
  21. Elemental Sulfur5,474▼ 0.62×1 topic
  22. Polyimides5,474▼ 0.62×1 topic
  23. Polymer Blends5,348▼ 0.66×1 topic
  24. Polymer Crystallization5,348▼ 0.66×1 topic
  25. Fire-Retardant Materials5,199▲ 1.47×1 topic
  26. Flame Retardant Polymers5,199▲ 1.47×1 topic
  27. Dielectric Properties3,498◆ 1.01×1 topic
  28. Polyvinyl Alcohol3,498◆ 1.01×1 topic
  29. Characterization3,437▼ 0.61×2 topics
  30. Synthesis3,437▼ 0.61×2 topics
  31. Dendrimers2,656▼ 0.55×1 topic
  32. Hyperbranched Polymers2,656▼ 0.55×1 topic
  33. Thermal Degradation2,379◆ 0.95×2 topics
  34. Polymer Foaming2,299◆ 0.89×1 topic
  35. Supercritical Carbon Dioxide2,299◆ 0.89×1 topic
  36. Plasticizers1,598◆ 0.91×1 topic
  37. Poly(vinyl chloride)1,598◆ 0.91×1 topic
  38. Ion-Exchange Properties782◆ 1.06×1 topic
  39. Polymer Resins782◆ 1.06×1 topic

Which countries lead Polymers and Plastics research?

On research quality in 2022-now, China, the United States and the United Kingdom rank highest in Polymers and Plastics. By volume, China and India publish the most (34k and 10k works in 2022-now).

By research quality, 2022-now

  1. 1 China #1 all time 1.31× citation excellence · 1.30× journals · 100% breadth 13.4% top 10% · 30k works
  2. 2 United States #2 all time 1.01× citation excellence · 1.73× journals · 100% breadth 10.6% top 10% · 5.4k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom #4 all time 1.31× citation excellence · 1.45× journals · 100% breadth 13.3% top 10% · 1.3k works
  4. 4 South Korea #6 all time 0.98× citation excellence · 0.95× journals · 100% breadth 9.2% top 10% · 3.2k works
  5. 5 Australia #8 all time 1.50× citation excellence · 1.20× journals · 100% breadth 15.8% top 10% · 784 works
  6. 6 Singapore #7 all time 1.69× citation excellence · 1.69× journals · 100% breadth 19.1% top 10% · 331 works
  7. 7 Germany #3 all time 0.69× citation excellence · 1.39× journals · 100% breadth 6.6% top 10% · 1.9k works
  8. 8 France #5 all time 0.69× citation excellence · 1.23× journals · 100% breadth 7.2% top 10% · 2.1k works
  9. 9 Canada #9 all time 1.09× citation excellence · 1.17× journals · 100% breadth 11.1% top 10% · 973 works
  10. 10 India #16 all time 0.84× citation excellence · 0.33× journals · 100% breadth 7.8% top 10% · 9.2k works

The track on each row is that row's top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the quality score, which compares the rate with what each place's own topics predict, adds its share of papers in the Nature Index journals, and counts output and breadth too.

Of 46 countries ranked in Polymers and Plastics. Ranked on the quality score for 2022-now; the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Polymers and Plastics

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 34k works
  2. 2 India 10k works
  3. 3 United States 6.2k works
  4. 4 South Korea 3.5k works
  5. 5 Japan 2.8k works
  6. 6 Türkiye 2.6k works
  7. 7 France 2.3k works
  8. 8 Germany 2.2k works
  9. 9 Russia 2.2k works
  10. 10 Iran 1.9k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 49.6%India: 15.4%United States: 9.2%South Korea: 5.1%6 others listed: 20.7%50%largest
China34k · 49.6%India10k · 15.4%United States6,192 · 9.2%South Korea3,466 · 5.1%6 others listed14k · 20.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Polymers and Plastics research?

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) ranks first in Polymers and Plastics on research quality in 2022-now, followed by University of Science and Technology of China and Sichuan University.

By research quality, 2022-now

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #1 all time 16.2% top 10% · 1.8k works
  2. 2 University of Science and Technology of China China · Hefei · #2 all time 17.9% top 10% · 334 works
  3. 3 Sichuan University China · Chengdu · #4 all time 17.1% top 10% · 628 works
  4. 4 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #3 all time 19.0% top 10% · 310 works
  5. 5 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #7 all time 17.2% top 10% · 273 works
  6. 6 South China University of Technology China · Guangzhou · #9 all time 14.4% top 10% · 492 works
  7. 7 Donghua University China · Shanghai · #25 all time 13.3% top 10% · 491 works
  8. 8 Zhejiang University China · Hangzhou · #17 all time 17.2% top 10% · 320 works
  9. 9 Southern University of Science and Technology China · Shenzhen · #6 all time 21.5% top 10% · 120 works
  10. 10 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China · Shanghai · #12 all time 16.3% top 10% · 269 works

The track on each row is that row's top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the quality score, which compares the rate with what each place's own topics predict, adds its share of papers in the Nature Index journals, and counts output and breadth too.

Of 268 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Polymers and Plastics.

Top 100 Polymers and Plastics institutions

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 2k works
  2. 2 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 1.1k works
  3. 3 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 715 works
  4. 4 Sichuan UniversityChina 669 works
  5. 5 South China University of TechnologyChina 542 works
  6. 6 Donghua UniversityChina 537 works
  7. 7 Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyChina 507 works
  8. 8 Qingdao University of Science and TechnologyChina 494 works
  9. 9 University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina 377 works
  10. 10 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 361 works

Who are the leading researchers in Polymers and Plastics?

Counting only their work in Polymers and Plastics, Zhong Lin Wang, Yongfang Li and Alex K.‐Y. Jen have the most papers in the world top 10% for their subfield and year beyond the 10% expected.

  1. 1 Zhong Lin Wang United States · #5 worldwide overall 292.4 of 435 papers here in the top 10%
  2. 2 Yongfang Li China · #12,111 worldwide overall 141.9 of 454 papers here in the top 10%
  3. 3 Alex K.‐Y. Jen United States · #3,990 worldwide overall 119.0 of 229 papers here in the top 10%
  4. 4 Jianhui Hou China · #751 worldwide overall 118.1 of 256 papers here in the top 10%
  5. 5 Alan J. Heeger United States · #2,461 worldwide overall 114.2 of 247 papers here in the top 10%
  6. 6 Iain A. McCulloch United Kingdom · #1,504 worldwide overall 95.9 of 212 papers here in the top 10%
  7. 7 Zhanhu Guo United States · #168 worldwide overall 91.7 of 180 papers here in the top 10%
  8. 8 Yuan Z. Hu China · #69,691 worldwide overall 137.2 of 478 papers here in the top 10%
  9. 9 Zhenan Bao United States · #77 worldwide overall 85.5 of 158 papers here in the top 10%
  10. 10 Yu‐Zhong Wang China · #16,624 worldwide overall 95.0 of 278 papers here in the top 10%

Ranked on their work in Polymers and Plastics alone: how many more of their papers here reached the world top 10% for their subfield and year than the 10% expected, among 869,296 ranked researchers with a paper here. Each paper counts once, so many strong papers outrank one famous one, and a long record of ordinary papers does not climb. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Polymers and Plastics researchers

What are the most cited papers in Polymers and Plastics?

The most cited paper in Polymers and Plastics is "Electron-energy-loss spectra and the structural stability of nickel oxide: An LSDA+U study" (S. L. Dudarev, Gianluigi A. Botton, Sergey Yu. Savrasov et al., 1998), with 15,337 citations. Next come "Light-emitting diodes based on conjugated polymers" (11,399) and "Efficient Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Meso-Superstructured Organometal Halide Perovskites" (10,671).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Electron-energy-loss spectra and the structural stability of nickel oxide: An LSDA+U study S. L. Dudarev, Gianluigi A. Botton, Sergey Yu. Savrasov et al. · Physical review. B, Condensed matter 15 Jan 1998 15,337
2 Light-emitting diodes based on conjugated polymers J. H. Burroughes, Donal D. C. Bradley, Adam R. C. Brown et al. · Nature Oct 1990 11,399
3 Efficient Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Meso-Superstructured Organometal Halide Perovskites Michael M. Lee, Joël Teuscher, Tsutomu Miyasaka et al. · Science 5 Oct 2012 10,671
4 Electron-Hole Diffusion Lengths Exceeding 1 Micrometer in an Organometal Trihalide Perovskite Absorber Samuel D. Stranks, Giles E. Eperon, Giulia Grancini et al. · Science 17 Oct 2013 10,415
5 Polymer Photovoltaic Cells: Enhanced Efficiencies via a Network of Internal Donor-Acceptor Heterojunctions Gang Yu, Jun Gao, Jan Cornelis Hummelen et al. · Science Open access 15 Dec 1995 10,356
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Polymers and Plastics research done?

The largest centres of Polymers and Plastics research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Nanjing (China) and Xi'an (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Alès, Pittsburg and Beijinglu.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 5.1k works
  2. 2 ShanghaiChina 2.3k works
  3. 3 NanjingChina 1.7k works
  4. 4 Xi'anChina 1.5k works
  5. 5 SeoulSouth Korea 1.4k works
  6. 6 ChengduChina 1.3k works
  7. 7 GuangzhouChina 1.3k works
  8. 8 WuhanChina 1.3k works
  9. 9 HangzhouChina 1.2k works
  10. 10 QingdaoChina 1.1k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. AlèsFR · 28.2 works24×
  2. PittsburgUS · 40.8 works19×
  3. BeijingluCN · 28.2 works16×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Polymers and Plastics than the world average.

See Polymers and Plastics on the map

Polymers and Plastics research by country

The best places for Polymers and Plastics research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Polymers and Plastics?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Science and Technology of China, Sichuan University and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences score highest, combining standing in the field's ranking, citation excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 17.83%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →Southern University …University of Chines…University of Scienc…Sichuan University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Standingthis field's institution ranking, three quarters all time and a quarter 2022-now
50%
Citation excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
20%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
5%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
15%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
5%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
5%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreRank in field (all time)Top 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina 82.4#2 (#2)17.4%3.8×378 +26.7%
2Sichuan UniversityChina 76.5#3 (#4)16.8%3.5×669 +10.4%
3University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 75.9#4 (#3)18.3%2.5×342 +6.3%
4Southern University of Science and TechnologyChina 69.6#9 (#6)21.5%2.9×128 +44.4%
5Tsinghua UniversityChina 68.6#5 (#7)16.6%1.6×302 +14.5%
6South China University of TechnologyChina 67.3#6 (#9)14.2%6.0×542 +3.8%
7City University of Hong KongChina 64.3#20 (#21)27.9%2.4×116 +54.6%
8Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 63.1#10 (#12)16.3%1.2×290 +21.1%
9Zhejiang UniversityChina 62.7#8 (#17)16.6%1.6×356 +23.2%
10Donghua UniversityChina 61.9#7 (#25)12.7%17.5×537 +21.6%

Universities only. The score blends standing (50%), citation excellence (20%), size (15%), specialisation (5%), growth (5%), international reach (5%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise. Standing is the score in this field's institution ranking, three quarters over all time and a quarter 2022-now; excellence averages the two windows too. Four years alone undercount fields such as AI, where many conference and arXiv papers from 2022 on carry no affiliation in the data.

Every institution in Polymers and Plastics, country by country

Is Polymers and Plastics research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 18% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Flame retardant materials and properties, Polymer composites and self-healing and Polymer Science and PVC.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Polymers and Plastics as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.42% in 2024.

still counting0.20%0.40%0.60%Polymers and Plastics0.40% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Polymers and Plastics over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Polymers and Plastics9.9% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Flame retardant materials and properties+51%
  2. Polymer composites and self-healing+47%
  3. Polymer Science and PVC+46%
  4. Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites+29%
  5. Transition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials+22%
  6. Synthesis and properties of polymers+20%
  7. Polymer Nanocomposites and Properties-1%
  8. Dendrimers and Hyperbranched Polymers-11%
  9. Polymer Synthesis and Characterization-12%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2018-21 to 2022-25. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Polymers and Plastics include?

Conducting polymers and …116kConducting polymers and applications: 116k fractional worksPolymer Nanocomposites and Properties: 50k fractional worksPolymer crystallization and properties: 46k fractional worksSynthesis and properties of polymers: 45k fractional worksTextile materials and evaluations: 45k fractional worksNatural Fiber Reinforced Composites: 37k fractional worksTransition Metal Oxide N…37kTransition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials: 37k fractional worksPolymer composites and self-healing: 30k fractional worksFlame retardant materials and properties: 17k fractional worksDendrimers and Hyperbranched Polymers: 16k fractional worksPolymer Nanocomposite Synthesis and Irradiation: 15k fractional worksPolymer Science and PVC: 13k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.

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Who leads Polymers and Plastics, on Science Explorer

A card with the countries and institutions that lead Polymers and Plastics, for a post or a slide.

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1200 × 630 PNG, sized for social posts, drawn from the latest snapshot.

The leading institutions' badges6Each links to that institution's page and updates with every snapshot

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